


So Goddamn Easy

by filthyfuckingfiction



Series: Incubus Pete [2]
Category: Bandom, Fall Out Boy, Panic! at the Disco
Genre: Alternate Universe - Demons, Alternate Universe - Succubi & Incubi, Corruption, Emotional Manipulation, M/M, Master/Pet, Multi, Power Imbalance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-30
Updated: 2018-10-30
Packaged: 2019-08-09 23:13:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16458860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/filthyfuckingfiction/pseuds/filthyfuckingfiction
Summary: Pete stumbles upon a group of young hopefuls and takes a chance on them, signing them within months of meeting them for the first time. He takes a vested interest in the success of Panic! at the Disco's career. Things get significantly more complicated when his own boss takes an interest in their eventual downfall.





	So Goddamn Easy

**Author's Note:**

> hi, friends- i'm still around. this fic is my baby that i've been coddling the idea of for a while and am starting now in the spirit of halloween.
> 
> as always, check my profile description for updates. chapters should be coming much more frequently soon enough.

Most people would be annoyed if their band had been dissed by a group of guys without so much as a music career. That same percentage of people would likely be made even angrier if it was phrased ‘you guys suck, here’s some real music’ with a link to the senders’ demos, adding insult to injury. Being insulted in the same message as a request for attention didn’t work on many people.

Pete, however, was not most people. While his bandmates had been a mix of amused and annoyed at the ballsy comments, he had been intrigued. He’d shot back a message after only a few hours with a surprisingly blasé comment. ‘hey, im in la. r u guys free sometime soon? wanna hear more’

‘…you’re not gonna kick our asses, are you? if not, tmrw works, weve got practice’

‘lol, no. see you then.’

Now he sat at a rickety table, scanning the room in front of him. He’d been ushered in with a hasty ‘sorry for the mess’ from Spencer. Apparently, the four had ditched an overcrowded practice space for… Well, it resembled an abandoned garage. Pete couldn’t judge, as he’d had his fair share of jam sessions in the back of a shitty van. The two in front of him, Spencer and Brent, had been in the midst of wrapping up lunch when he’d come in. Since Pete had sat down, he’d been the recipient of awkward but well-intentioned small talk. He glanced up when the door across the room opened, raising an eyebrow as the other two band members walked in.

“Hey. Sorry we’re kinda late-“

“Ryan overslept.” the other supplied helpfully, grinning and jerking a thumb at Ryan, who glared daggers at him.

“-Shut up. Anyway. You’re Pete, right? We’re Panic! at the Disco. I’m Ryan, this asshole is Brendon.” Said while nodding to the one who had called him out on his sleeping habits. “You’ve met Spencer and Brent.” Ryan indicated the other two as he said their names. Pete gave them an easy wave, tilting his head curiously.

“…so. Who sent the message?” A half smirk appeared on Ryan’s lips.

“It was me and Brendon’s idea, but Brendon actually wrote it.” He shot his friend a look, apparently thoroughly enjoying the chance to throw him under the bus in turn. Brendon grumbled under his breath. Pete’s eyes locked on him. It wasn’t really a predatory expression, but it was unfortunately misinterpreted- Brendon’s nerves got more frazzled, and he tensed up a bit. All of them were pretty nervous; they were trying to hide it with varying degrees of success, but their combined body languages were giving them away. Pete noticed Brendon’s frame stiffen and actively made an effort to soften his face. Brendon laughed a bit nervously, clearly not sure how to handle Pete’s interest.

“Uh, yeah. That’s me.” Ryan nudged him again, very amused.

“Hey, you were real ballsy when we messaged him. Where’s that all of a sudden?” Ryan was clearly amused. “He said he didn’t come here to beat us up.”

“Could have been lying.” Pete supplied helpfully, offering a bright grin. Brent seemed to have a sense of humor, for he snickered in response. Pete finally decided to get down to business, clearing his throat. “I wasn’t lying, I’m just fucking with you. I mean, yeah… the way you went about sending your shit was weird, real asshole move.” He laughed to himself, shaking his head. “But your sound isn’t half bad.” Spencer, who seemed to have been listening very intently, seemed to brighten at the compliment.

“Hey, thanks, man.” Pete held up a hand.

“…From what I could hear, anyway. Demos are tricky.” he continued. It seemed like the conversation was taking a downward turn for a moment, and then Pete smiled at the group. “So thanks for letting me sit in.” All four looked very surprised.

“…Wait, so you actually wanna hear us again? I know Ryan said you were coming, but none of us really thought you were serious.” Brent asked slowly. Pete nodded.

“Yeah, I’m serious. Wouldn’t have driven out here if I wasn’t. You’re good.” he said bluntly. All members of the group shared a look. The fact that they were talking to someone who owned a label was heavy on their minds. None of them had made the mental jump to assume that they were going to get signed, it at best registering as a pipe dream, but they were all certainly worried of the judgment they’d get from a professional musician. Ryan swallowed nervously, being the first to look around at the others for opinions. Brendon finally broke the silence, straightening up and nodding firmly.

“Yeah. We’re down.” Pete grinned.

“Sweet. I’ll give you guys time to warm up.” He could tell they were all still nervous, and he didn’t want to make things worse. Ryan had been looking at Pete as if seeking instruction, and Pete waved a hand at him to confirm his words. “Go ahead.” With that, he leaned back in the chair, folding his arms behind his head and closing his eyes. All four exchanged bewildered looks. Brent was the first to move, shrugging and going to grab his bass from the corner. Once an example was set, the others followed suit. Spencer cast a somewhat nervous look at the tuned-out Pete.

“Um- if we’d have known you were serious, we’d have been ready when you got here…” he started tentatively. Pete made a vague gesture in his general direction, not opening his eyes.

“It’s okay, man, I really don’t mind. You can take your time. And if rescheduling is easier, that’s cool too-“

“No, that’s not necessary.” Brendon cut him off quicker than intended. Pete still didn’t open his eyes, but his eyebrows went up very high. The remaining three sets of eyes immediately went to Brendon, who looked extremely embarrassed. “I mean, I’m- I’m not trying to be a dick or anything. It’d just be fun to do it now…” His words died in his throat. After a pause, Ryan cooed wordlessly, affectionately nudging his friend. Pete chuckled, very soft.

“Excited?”

“…Yeah.” Brendon admitted softly. He didn’t quite smile, but his lips curved upwards before he ducked his head.

Their warmup was a bit rough, but Pete didn’t interrupt. He also didn’t open his eyes at any point, but once they actually started playing, he started tapping his fingers along to the beat. He had to admit, all three demos sounded a lot better when they weren’t fuzzy tracks played through tinny speakers. By the time the band wrapped up, Pete was visibly pleased.

Pete opened his eyes slowly, greeted with their undivided attention. All four realized simultaneously that they were staring and looked away in different directions, Brendon mumbling to himself, Spencer shifting nervously in place. The silence went on for long enough that worst-case scenarios started to manifest in their minds; every part of their sound being picked apart, personal insults, demands as to why Pete had even bothered wasting his time to join them. Luckily, Pete spoke up just as the four were collectively sinking into mental hell.

“So, uh- how do you guys feel about getting signed?” Ryan’s eyes went as wide as saucers.

“H-holy shit, you’re serious?” he stammered, not even trying to hide his awe. His friends looked equally as stunned. Brendon was scanning Pete up and down, seemingly waiting for the punchline. Spencer managed to keep his staring subtle, but Brent eyed Pete suspiciously. Pete didn’t falter, straightening up and standing from his chair, coming around the desk to stand amongst them.

“Yeah. I’m impressed.” Pete replied simply, glancing around at all four. “For a bunch of stuck-up kids, you’re not that bad.” He broke into a grin. Some of the tension in the room evaporated, the comment garnering tentative little giggles. Everyone in the band was looking at each other, waiting for someone to decide. Finally, Spencer stepped forward.

“Um- I think I speak for everyone when I say that that’s awesome. But, uh- can we have some time to think about it? This is really sudden.” Relieved, Ryan and Brent nodded. Brendon seemed to lose a little weight off his shoulders as well, sighing softly. Pete nodded as well, completely unfazed.

“Sure thing. I did kinda spring that on you.” He moved back, digging in his pocket before coming up with a scrap of paper. Pete scrawled his phone number on it, handing it to the closest person to him, which happened to be Brendon. “Keep me updated. We can go for lunch and talk it over sometime. Was nice to meet you assholes.” he commented cheerfully. Brent laughed, a stunned sort of noise, glancing over Brendon’s shoulder at the phone number as if to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

“Was nice to meet you too. We’ll- we’ll let you know.” Pete seemed satisfied, turning back to the desk. He grabbed his bag and headed to the door, offering a last casual wave before letting himself out.

As it turned out, he didn’t have to wait long. A week later, Pete sat at the head of a diner booth with the band, long-abandoned food trays in front of all as Ryan eagerly blurted out a yes. Spencer nodded so eagerly that Pete feared his head would fall off and hit the floor, and Brent grinned at his bandmates’ enthusiasm. Brendon didn’t say anything, but his eyes were shining.

“Great. So I’ll keep in touch, yeah? I know you all-“ Said while gesturing to everyone but Ryan. “-have to focus on graduating, but I’ll handle the hype in the meantime.” Pete propped his chin up with his hand, glancing around at the delighted faces surrounding him. His heart warmed upon seeing their obvious joy. His phone went off with a text from Patrick, asking how the meeting had gone. Pete took a moment to reply with a simple open-mouthed smiley face.

He sipped at his soda as he watched the band head out, chattering excitedly as they hit the sidewalk. Pete glanced down at his phone, reading another text from Patrick. >so is that a yes?< He missed the tinkling of the chimes on the diner door as it opened again, typing back a >yeah. ill tell u everything when im home<. Pete didn’t glance up until someone cleared his throat from beside him. Brendon stood there, a little out of breath, pausing to catch it when he had Pete’s attention.

“Hey, man, um- I know I haven’t really said a lot during this whole thing. It’s just been a lot, and-“ Pete watched the poor thing stumble over his words, but let him finish. “Anyway. I just… wanted to say thanks.” When Pete met Brendon’s eyes, he noticed they had the same euphoric shine to them. He broke into a smile, patting Brendon on the arm.

“Yeah. No problem, dude. I’ll take care of everything, you’ll see. I’ll see you around, alright?” Brendon nodded, looking like he was on cloud nine. He stepped back, searching Pete’s face. Seeming to finally think past his awe, Brendon smiled back.

“Yeah. See you.” Pete watched as Brendon slipped out onto the sidewalk again, leaning back in the booth and sighing contentedly. He closed his eyes, just letting himself get lost in thought as he waited for his check.

Brendon caught up to Brent, Spencer and Ryan, who had been waiting against a lamp post for him. Ryan nudged him, curious. “Hey, what’d you go back for?”

“Just wanted to tell him thank you. I realized I’d never actually said it.” Brendon confessed, an embarrassed heat coming to his cheeks. Brent scoffed in amusement, leading the group back to the parking lot. Spencer mumbled a good-natured ‘dork’.

As Brendon piled into the car, he let himself get lost in thought again. The past week had gone by so quickly that he’d barely been able to think. Still, he felt the same thing the rest of them did- the elation of a dream finally taking off the ground. He closed his eyes, reclining against the headrest as the car started up. This would work out, he could feel it.

His mind did settle on something less palatable as the car started moving, though. Brendon tuned out the conversation happening in the front seat, frowning to himself as he mulled over something very odd. By the time they arrived back at Spencer’s house, immediately breaking out junk food and drinks, he had come to terms with two facts.

One, he had never felt better than he did at that moment.

And two, when he’d been the recipient of Pete’s smile back in the diner, Pete's teeth had been far sharper than any human's should have been.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> this fic takes place within 'canon' timelines, so panic! is still signed at the same time, etc etc. this chapter doesn't have much in the way of romantic interaction, but romantic and sexual content are quickly in this fic's future. this chapter did not have any of that both because this is a slow burn fic and because brendon was 17 at the time panic! was signed. it's coming, just in another chapter when brendon isn't underage. thank y'all for reading!


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